Excursion
by Daniel Wesley Rydell
Summary: Final Fantasy Series I-XII A series of drabbles, based off of word prompts. Most Current: IV: Expendable
1. Axe

_**I've decided to jump on the "drabble" train. This will be one-shots and multi-chapters, as many as I feel like doing. That means it may be one or two chapters, or it may be hundreds. I'll be doing prompts, either based on a word or words I hear, or one I see, as I am doing most of these without internet access.**_

_**These will be Final Fantasy Series, which will include games that I've played, as well as Final Fantasy: Clouded Horizons, a project between Nightfire04, Iron Reaver, and me. Let's see what happens, shall we?**_

_**Obviously, unless stated, the copyrights belong to Square-Enix!**_

_**First Prompt: Axe  
Inspiration: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest**_

_**

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**_"Give me back my axe."

Those were the words Benjamin woke to that morning. And they weren't spoken with kindness. And additionally were spoken with a jab to the chest. He opened his eyes groggily, and met the piercing blue eyes that peered at him.

"G… good morning Kaeli," he grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He sat up, leaning up against the headboard of his bed. She crossed her arms and continued to glare.

"Give me back my axe."

"How are you this morning?" he asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. Taking a shirt from a chair near the bed, he pulled it over his muscular chest, shaking his head for a moment before looking back at the (apparently) infuriated Kaeli.

"Give me back my axe."

He shrugged. "Wouldn't be that difficult to get. It wouldn't hurt you to be friendly, either," he replied. Her glare didn't soften, and her frown grew. His eyes narrowed just slightly. "You know, we recently worked together to save the world. Killed some enemies? Became friends?"

"Give me back my axe."

_Wow, _he thought. _What'd I do to get __**this? **_He tried to think of how he could have offended her. Coming up on a blank, he shrugged again. _Might as well go for broke. _"What do you need it for?" he asked.

Her eyes clouded in confusion just for a second, as if what he'd asked was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "I need it because it's my axe!" He grinned despite her anger. Though, of course, he was still confused. But, he'd thrown her off her game, and that meant that this impossible conversation was possible.

"Didn't you give it to me?" he questioned as he got to his feet, pulling on the marine blue button-up shirt he routinely wore. Looking over to her, he waited for a response, which seemed to be a long time in coming. Finally, however, she spoke again, and for just a moment, her shield seemed to crack.

"I… just want it back…" she replied, lamely. His eyes met hers again, and he walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me, Kaeli. What's wrong?" he concernedly asked. Her eyes closed, and she shook her head.

"Nothing, I just want my axe!... please…" Her voice, starting strong, had grown weaker as he held her. A look of desperation crossed her eyes, and he instinctively realized that there was much, much more to this than she originally shown. So, once again, he decided to test the waters.

"This isn't about the axe… is it?" he gently probed. She closed her eyes, and shook her head violently. "It's about the axe. I just want it back! Why won't you give it back?!" she yelled in his arms. When he tried to calm her, she responded by beginning to punch him in the chest.

"Kaeli?" he asked again, her tiny fists powerful, but not hurting him enough to complain. She didn't answer, only continuing to punch him, her closed eyes beginning to tear up before she finally collapsed into his waiting arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why do you love her so much more than me?"

He blinked before responding. "Who?"

She looked up at him, venom crossing her sorrow-struck features for a moment. "Phoebe! Why do you love her so much more than me?" she cried, her tears staining her face and falling to his shirt. He smiled wanly. He finally got it. Before he could respond with anything, though, she began to rant into his shirt again.

"I gave you my axe, my favorite axe, my best axe! I trusted you to save the forest and me! And you-"

"-gave my heart to you."

She looked up in utter disbelief, and he smiled. "Is it that hard to believe, Kaeli? You trusted me with your axe, and I trusted you with my heart. I don't love her more than I love you. I love you, and she's nothing but a good friend," he finished, looking into her blue eyes, still strikingly piercing though she had been crying.

Kaeli's eyes misted over again before her arms wrapped around him. He smiled, and chuckled quietly. "So, about the axe…"

"Keep the axe. Your heart is mine."


	2. Umbrella

_**The wonderful thing about fanfiction is no matter how horrendous or good, it's **__**mine**__** even if the copyright belongs to someone else. And while ideas may spawn from other sources, brought to life by things completely related or unrelated, it's something I've done, whether I like it or not.**_

_**Second Prompt: Umbrella  
Inspiration: Final Fantasy VIII  


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**_

He was sad and alone and _cold _and wet.

Even though the others saw him as being fear_less_ and pain_less_ and un_hurt, _he was scared and wanted to scream and _hated_ life as it was given to him. He disliked _playing_ and _joking _and frolicking in the flowers, because all of it wasn't fun, nor was it right.

He remembered a time when it used to be fun to play at the lighthouse, or to run down the beach, or to chase around the other children (while making sure he made Zell cry at least once.) He remembered _fun_ but he no longer wanted to have it. No, it was much simpler than that, much more serious and sincere that any child had any right to be; orphan or not.

He missed Sis more than anything in the world.

Nothing was _fun_, or _happy_, or did anything do anything but _hurt_ in a world without Sis. He cried when no one would see (silently, so Matron wouldn't hear) because it was the only way to relieve his anguish.

And now, he stood in the rain; _alone, cold, wet._

Except that suddenly it wasn't raining on him. He looked up to see an obscenely yellow umbrella above him. He glared at the holder, but she looked so _sad, _and _alone_ that he couldn't glare at her for long, because he could compare to her, and comparison was good when you want nothing more than to be drenched, happy, and not standing in bitter loneliness.

"Do yoo miss Sis?" tiny Selphie asked him as she shielded him from the downpour. And those words were all it took for his barriers to shatter, putting him with his arms around her, sobbing into her ugly yellow shirt, with her arms around him. And he sobbed and cried and screamed as the storm around him raged louder and louder, as if the skies, no, as if Hyne herself was weeping with him.

Minutes, perhaps hours later, they sat on the stones in front of the orphanage, and for the first time since Sis had disappeared, proud Seifer was okay. And Selphie would hold his hand until the tears and raindrops dried.


	3. Honor

_**The great thing about these prompts is it's causing me to stretch my perception of the games/movies that I'm writing about. I love it!**_

_**As a fun note, I really like this one. Dunno why.**_

_**Third Prompt: Honor  
Inspiration: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children**_

_**

* * *

**Never turn your back on an opponent. Reversely, never attack your opponent from behind. While taking prisoners may be required as part of your duty, never take hostages to fulfill that duty. Disarming an opponent is key to your survival, but never kill a unarmed suspect when there is recourse other than death._

_It is the will and the spirit of the Turks. Believe it._

Tseng had grilled those thoughts into the new recruits of the Turks, which included her. No matter what they were doing, whether it was weapons training, or negotiation, he'd taught them the true meaning of honor. True, many things that the Turks had been asked to do throughout the time she'd been employed by them were less than savory, but she'd always kept her honor about her.

_You will be the finest in your field. You will excel in every aspect of your job; whether it is marksmanship, diplomacy, or professionalism. You are the finest that Shin-Ra has to offer; better than SOLDIER, better than the grunts in science, in administration. You are the ones who will get the job done no matter what. _

He'd spent time teaching her personally, too. They'd trained together, her learning the basics of using firearms, the different rods that Shin-Ra offered, and even hand-to-hand combat. He'd taught her to be efficient, and given her a bit of a back-bone when she'd not had one to begin with. He'd taught her to last under the most horrendous of interrogation methods, because while their missions didn't offer this danger, there was always the possibility that it could.

_Your rank and number will not be enough. Do not believe what you have seen on the television broadcasts. They will push you and push you until you no longer can remember your number, only the fact that your mind is fluctuating pain, and your body is conditioned to understand nothing but suffering. And when you are in this broken state, you are dangerous to your comrades, and useful to your enemies. _

Those words were a comfort to her, as 10,000 volts of electricity from a Shin-Ra issued tase-baton (hers, she noted with some distant interest.) They'd been torturing her with it for something close to a week now. And she'd screamed because they'd drawn blood, and Tseng's training didn't help her with the sight of her own blood. It'd spilled over her Shin-Ra ID, and they'd ripped it from her jacket soon after.

_If you are captured, your identity is useless. They care nothing about who you are, what you are, where you've been in your life. They only care about the information stored in your skull. And when they retrieve that, you are useless. Useless is dead-weight, and dead-weight will be taken out with the garbage._

She'd fought giving any information to these strange silver-haired men, and the one called Kadaj had cut her repeatedly because of it. And when she'd thought they'd grown tired of her non-responsiveness, she was shown Tseng's ID, covered in crimson.

Apparently, he'd fared as well as she had.

_If escape is possible without compromising your information, use whatever means that you have at your disposal. Observe everything; any information you find will be useful to your comrades when they come back in to enact justice on those who've hurt you. However, you should not be a hero. It is imperative that you escape, and heroes inherently get everyone killed._

She blanched under the withering stare that Kadaj gave her, and shook her head.

_Do not let your fear control you. Fear is natural, and in some extreme cases expected. Do not let that fear consume your senses. Do not think "I'm afraid I'll be caught." Instead, think "I won't let them take me." Illogical fear is dishonorable._

She closed her eyes. She was frightened, but Tseng's words rang in her ears. She would look for an opening, and she would escape, no matter the cost.

_Moreso, above all else, remember your honor as a Turk. You are the best of the best of the best. You are nothing more than elite. Accept nothing less than greatness, and you'll achieve nothing less than supreme excellence. _

She was elite. She was the best. She would escape. She would accept nothing less.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a flurry of gunshots echoed around the room. Kadaj and his gang flew to cover. Kadaj used his daikatana as a shield, stopping all of the bullets. His speed was amazing, she realized with a start. He'd always seemed so… she supposed the word that she would use would be smooth. But soon, even with the impressive amount of speed and reaction time he showed, even he had to fall back.

Then, she watched in surprise as the red cloak which the gunshots had emanated surrounded her. Within seconds, it and her were flying down the tunnel outside the room she'd been held.

"Wait, we have to save Tseng!" she cried, hoping that this person or thing would understand. A pair of glowing eyes met hers and a voice she swore she had heard before answered. "There's no room for heroes in the Turks. Escape is your first priority."

She blinked, recognizing the voice. Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know that, Vincent? And why are you here?"

He chuckled darkly.

_We will be there. No one is left behind. Once a Turk-_

"-always a Turk," he replied. A rare ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Tseng's outside waiting."

---


	4. Expendable

_**It takes a special kind of person to see the potential relations between people. Fortunately, much better authors than I saw them long before I did.**_

_**I'm fairly excited about the idea I came up with here.**_

_**Fourth Prompt: Expendable / Expendability  
Inspiration: Final Fantasy VIII (With subtle Clouded Horizons references)**_

_**

* * *

**_  
"Happy birthday, old friend."

The words distracted Laguna Loire from the jigsaw puzzle he'd chosen to work on the one day that he was off. After all, President's birthday? Ward and Kiros could handle the micro-managing and stamping that his job required 365 days a year. He looked up to the video screen in his living room and grinned.

"Hibrom! What brings you to my side of the woods, friend?" Laguna replied, the laugh in his voice quite apparent from seeing an old friend visiting (via video, of course.) He picked up his glass, and held it up to the screen, toasting the new face on his entertaining (but lonely) day.

Hibrom Caraway's worn features smiled warmly at the man. "I couldn't forget about my friend on his best and worst day." And as if on cue, there was a knock on a door. "Plus, I know you're a fan of Galbadia's finest on this one day."

Laguna's smile widened to extreme levels. "You know me too well," He got up, heading over to the door, to open it… only to meet Hibrom Caraway on the other side. The man in question chuckled at Laguna's expression.

"How'd you…?"

Caraway smirked. "I wasn't promoted to this position for my good looks. I do have a modicum of skill." Within seconds, however, a member of Estharian Presidential Guard had her rifle to Caraway's back. He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"I must ask you to stand down, General," Hikari Tanaka ordered to the Galbadian General. Caraway nodded slowly, realizing he'd been caught with his proverbial pants around his ankles, and slowly raised his hands. Laguna laughed, looking over at Hikari. "Best present I could've ever gotten, Hikari. Thanks for playin' along."

The woman in question smiled, holstering her rifle. "Of course, Mister President; it was my pleasure. Happy birthday, "she answered before heading off. Caraway put his arms to his sides before following Laguna into his house.

"How long did you know I was here?" Caraway finally asked as he headed out to the spacious living area. Laguna (who'd walked into the kitchen to fetch a glass for his new guest) grinned. "C'mon. I command the most technologically advanced country in the world. Do you think you can get past my borders without me knowing?"

Caraway persisted. "How long?"

Laguna stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Around Fisherman's Horizon."

Caraway's eyes widened. He had known Esthar was advanced… but that far out of their jurisdiction..? "How in the world…?"

Laguna walked out and sat a glass in front of Caraway before answering. "At any given time, there's fifty satellites watching our borders, analyzing every micron, sending data to our military command so they can best decide whether something cross our border is an ant or a militant group who wants my head. Nothing and no one gets by them. It's pretty cool, actually…" He said trailing off as his mind took in the "niftiness" (as his brain called it) that the Estharian defense system was. The, he glanced over at Caraway.

"That, and Galbadian air transports stick out like a sore ankle over the ocean."

Caraway laughed as he opened the bottle that he'd brought for Laguna. "Sore ankle? I think you mean sore thumb."

Laguna rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. "Whatever. Enough about me though. How are you? How's Rinoa?"

It was Caraway's turn to look embarrassed. "I'm all right, all things considered. Galbadia is a rough place to be second in command of. Even after all the years I've served the nation, you'd think that the populace would appreciate it," he started, but then shrugged. "Of course, it doesn't matter. As much as they are loathing admitting it, the people of the Galbadian nation are snobby; even to each other."

Laguna chuckled. "Does that make Kiros, Ward, and us the last good thing to come out of Galbadia?"

Caraway smiled and nodded. "My daughter should be in the group as well. I'd like to think that Rinoa came out all right, despite our personal differences for so many years," he replied, sipping the fine brandy that he'd poured himself just moments before. His eyes closed as he savored it. "Just as good as last year."

Laguna's eyes widened as he swallowed some from his own glass. "You haven't had it since last year?" he questioned, sampling some more of the fine drink. Caraway looked up, opening his eyes. "It takes a year to brew it, so I look forward to your birthday as much as you should," he quietly replied, then continued. "Rinoa's doing fine. She just passed her SeeD exam early this week. Apparently, she passed with one of the best scores they've seen since," he paused, "Since your own son."

Laguna shook his head at the mention of his son, but chose to say nothing on the subject, changing it by saying, "SeeD… I just don't understand, Hibrom. We were expendable, on the front lines. For a while people didn't even want to fight for Galbadia, most were inducted by force. How is it that suddenly expendability is cool?" For just a moment, it seemed like he was alluding to something, but it was brushed away as nothing more than a mere annoyance.

Caraway tipped his glass up, a silent salute to… something.

"Being the expendable ones became cool when the world was saved by teenagers," he answered, looking over at Laguna, almost as if he was looking for some kind of reaction. When none seemed forthcoming, he finally decided to press.

"When are you going to be ready to talk about Squall, old friend?" Caraway finally asked the president sitting across from him. And for the first time, the façade that Caraway had sensed in Laguna Loire started to break. "What's there to talk about?"

Caraway put down his glass, looking over at the man before finally answering. "It's been three years. And for the last two years, I've asked you the same question. I won't push you, but someday I hope you to be ready to answer."

Suddenly, Laguna grabbed the bottle, refilling his glass before downing the entirety of it. Then, he looked over to Caraway, his eyes filled with the most clarity that Caraway had ever seen in him. "Why do you come out here every year?"

Caraway didn't miss a beat. "Because I know that your birthday is also the day you were married. I know your birthday is the last time you saw your wife alive. And I know…" he trailed off, seeming to want to say something else, but it was as if his mouth refused to utter the words. Laguna's eyes filled with fire.

"Why won't you say it? Why won't anyone say it?"

For the first time, the Galbadian general was without words; which was just fine because within seconds Laguna had continued, his voice rising to a level far higher than Caraway had ever heard it. "Why is everyone afraid of saying that I killed my own son?!"

The general's analytical mind kicked into focus at that moment. His friend was talking about what had happened. Only questions that would gently prod would be asked, and only when they were absolutely necessary would be asked. Laguna put his face in his hands and kept talking, oblivious to the inner decisions that his friend was making.

"It was my idea, you know. It was my idea that me and my son go for a walk. I asked the guard to keep a distance; I knew the satellites were watching. There'd been no threats made on my life and I thought that if there was, a SeeD would be the perfect protection. And when it came to SeeD there was none better than Squall, you know!" He was rambling, years of pain starting to bubble out.

"What happened?" Caraway neutrally asked. He didn't ask because he didn't know the result (because he did), he asked because he knew that his friend had finally broken. A bottle of brandy and a skillfully placed word had seen to it. Words themselves were expendable if necessary to facilitate a favorable outcome; he'd heard a Trabian aristocrat say once.

Laguna's eyes lit up, but not with enthusiasm. He lit up as he was reliving the second most painful moment of his life. The voice that came out was calm but quivering.

"Some group didn't like some decision I'd made. I don't even remember what it was. Military funding, less protection for bunnies, a national holiday… who really cares. They heard I was going to be out and about on my birthday, celebrating the life I had with Raine, celebrating the future that I could have with my son... it was supposed to be wonderful… it was never supposed to be like this…"

His head hung showing grief and terror at admitting his terrible crime; the crime of taking the life of his own flesh. "I asked the Guard to stay away…. I asked t… them to stay away… it cost Squall his life! His life, thrown away for a father he barely knew! Why did he leap in front of that bullet, Hibrom?! _Why?!_" his sorrow-filled voice echoed across the small apartment.

"Why? Because whether or not he was capable of showing it, he loved his father. He knew you were in danger, and his skills as a SeeD kicked into high gear. He was a soldier, just like you and I. And back in the day, we would've taken a bullet for the President. Do you know why?"

Laguna looked over at his friend, his face red and tear-soaked.

"Because even if we thought he was scum, he represented our country. He was in the position that he was in because he earned it. People knew that the Galbadian army was the fist of Deling, and if your fist cannot protect you what good is it?" Caraway replied. Laguna shook his head, not understanding, but Caraway held up his hand.

"SeeD is the military of the world. Their ideals may not always be the highest, but there is no-one that SeeD will not fight to protect. Squall saw the bullet long before you did, I guarantee it. And it was his duty as your son and as a SeeD to protect you with his final breath," Caraway replied.

Laguna sighed, looking into his hands. As much as he was against it, he was right. Squall had been trained for that moment all of his life. He looked slowly up, about to say … something… anything to thank Caraway.

But Hibrom Caraway wasn't there. Squall Leonhart was. "Besides, what kind of son would I be if I couldn't protect my father, the President of the Federated Commonwealth of Esthar?"

Laguna shook his head, trying to shake away the image that was in front of him. His son, his dead son was sitting clear as day where seconds before Caraway had been. His mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, shock, glee. Do me a favor though, dad?" Squall said. Laguna mutely nodded. "Wake up."

And Laguna Loire's head flew up from the table where he'd fallen asleep. He looked furiously around, the cold sweat his dream had caused still haunting him. Squall… it was a dream…? He growled. Why was it that his birthday always sucked?

As if answering his call, there was a knock on his door. He ran to open it, his dream still fresh and painful in his mind. Hikari Tanaka stood on the other side of the door, standing in front of someone as if blocking their entry. "Mister President, Commander Squall Leonhart from Balamb Garden requests to speak with you. I informed him that-"

Laguna smiled. "Quit it, Hikari. Let my boy in."

Hikari nodded, a smile crossing her face. "Yes sir, Mister President. Happy birthday."

And for the first time in years, Laguna Loire smiled at the phrase.

"Thanks, Hikari. C'mon in Squall. Rinoa locked you out of your office, hm?"


End file.
